


30 Days of Q

by allonsymckenzie



Category: Impractical Jokers
Genre: 30-Day Fic Meme, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Ill show myself out, It's a safeguard tag lol, Qtie amiright, rating will likely change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-07 13:11:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allonsymckenzie/pseuds/allonsymckenzie
Summary: One of those 30 day memes. You meet Brian filming at the market. Let the fluff ensue.Following this prompt listhere. Note: days may be reorganized as I see fit.





	1. Day one: Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I''m completely new to this fandom, and I love Q so much. Sorry if it's not great lol. This is my way of getting into writing this.

It was that time of the week again: groceries. Ugh. You hate this part of your routine. There's something so tedious about grocery shopping that you'd rather drive a nail through your head. Hey, it saves money on food. 

Leaving your apartment in the cold NYC winter, you don't want to venture too far from home, so you go to the nearest market, regardless of the savings you get from your usual place. It's cold out, and you'd rather not lug your groceries across transit lines in this freezing chill. 

As you walk through the market, you're reasonably surprised at the selection and value. It's not too bad. You gather your normal selection or veggies (salad prep is so easy for a work lunch) and pantry staples such as pasta, sauce, and cereal. The only things left are the milk and a few other dairy products. You take a small sigh of relief as you walk around the corner to the final aisle. 

Where you see a couple of idiots holding balloons. 

No way.

No. Way. 

You knew Impractical Jokers filmed in NYC but come on, theres at least 8 million people in NYC, and certainly bigger markets than this to film in. 

But, to your disbelief, Sal Vulcano and Brian Quinn are standing right down the aisle, balloons in hand. 

You take a deep breath. Yeah, you're gonna play. This is too awesome to go fangirl. 

You start down the aisle, reminding yourself to breathe on occasion, as you browse the cheeses. You turn your back to the aisle, knowing what's coming. 

*clip* and one balloon on your jacket. You hear someone scurry off, but don't look, too interested in that Munster. 

*clip* another one. Someone slides behind and next to you. At this point, it's hard not to smile. But you can't help but look up and see which one is there. 

“Yeah, uh, Munster is supposed to be a good melting cheese. Have you heard that?” it's Q. Fucking Brian Quinn. Right next to you. Asking you about cheese, trying to be nonchalant.  
“Yeah, I've heard that.” you smile and join in. He smiles back a bit, trying to hold his laughter as Sal sneaks behind with another *clip*. Part of you wants to give up the ghost and bust him on this, but… 

Busting Q sounds more fun. 

You pick up the Munster and some 2% and make your way to the end of the aisle. You hear someone try not to be too loud at running, but it's not working. You know it's Q. He's running pretty hard, he's trying to get that balloon on you. 

And then a *clip* on your sleeve, followed by a loud thud against the ground. 

That's it, you have to see what he did. You turn to see him face down on the ground. Sal is down the aisle, rolling. You wanna play it up, for good measure, at least for Joe and Murr’s hidden entertainment. 

“did you do this?” you look with mock confusion at the balloons on your jacket. Brian looks at you with a defeated laugh. “what the hell man?” 

Q comes to his feet, with a small amount of assistance from you. 

“You're a pretty good sport, miss.” Brian says as he shakes your hand, removing the balloons. 

“honestly, I'm a big fan. I just wanted to play.” you confess. 

“oh, really?” Brian is surprised. “it's always nice to meet a fan.” he pulls you into a small hug. 

“it's pretty awesome to meet you. Honestly, you're cuter in person that I imagined.” fuck why did you say that 

Brian just laughs. “thanks. You're pretty cute yourself.” ohmygodohmygodohmygod 

He notices your ‘deer-in-headlights’ look and furrows his brow. “look, here's my number. I don't usually do this, but why not. You're a pretty good sport. Also, don't forget, I like cheese.” he furrows again as he walks away. 

Yeah, so it's not a great parting line. But he's too cute.  
And you've got his number.


	2. Day two: first date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I said I would change them as I see fit lol

It's odd that you have Brian Quinn as a contact in your phone. 

It's surreal that not only do you have him as a contact, but that you regularly text back and forth. 

And it's borderline insane that he's asked you to dinner tonight. 

But it's happening. And your gut can't decide which emotion should prevail: excitement, anxiety, or absolute gut-emptying nerves. 

You laughed growing up at the fairytale of a fan falling in love with a celebrity. It's come up in almost everyone's heads at some point. But you knew that stuff doesn't actually happen. 

Right? 

You prepped your outfit as best you could. It was a casual bar and grill he'd asked you to, so dressing up too much, you feared, would give off that “I'm seriously trying to get laid by a celebrity” vibe. Nice camisole, cardigan, dark jeans and your dressier boots. No, you're not trying too hard. 

At least you hope. 

It's been just a couple of weeks since you ran into him, filming the show at the market. Once he gave you his number, you tried your best not to text as soon as you got home. Amazingly, you held out until the next day, and just texted a simple. “it was so nice to meet you. :)” Your gut clenched, fearing it may have been a fake number, or that he gave out one of the other guy's numbers. (you saw the Miami episode and know that's not beneath them.) But he came back pretty quick with a “you as well!”, and it seemed to kick off well from there. 

Earlier today, he texted “Hey, I'm gonna be around your neck of the woods and I was wondering if you'd like to grab a drink or a bite to eat?” 

Checking your calendar and seeing nothing, as per usual, you texted back “I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure 8 would be okay? Where do you have in mind?”

And now you're here at the restaurant, and everything feels like it's on fire. 

You're sitting there, waiting for him, and the panic of “wait, we never called each other, this could still not be him” fear catches you. How do you get a hold of Nev and Max, you might have a new episode for them-

“Hey, there you are.” you look up, the voice pulling you out of your panic. It's Brian. It's seriously him. 

“Hi.” you smile, much more shy than your first meeting. He's wearing jeans, a nice cost, and a button down shirt underneath. His hair looks more kept than usual, which means he's put effort into his looks tonight. 

After you're seated, you don't know how to start talking. You've texted for a couple of weeks, yes, but that's different than being right in front of each other. 

“So, what do you do for a living?” he breaks the tension, smiling. It seems to calm you down instantly. 

You talk for what feels like ages before the food arrives. Normally you're a bit self conscious about eating in front of someone you don't know, but after getting to really talk to Brian, it's like you've known each other for a long time. The night goes by easily, along with the delicious food.   
“So, what would you have done if you got the Jaden Smith tattoo instead?”

“Oh, God, I'd just flat out kill myself.” he laughed. “I mean, yeah, mine was a surprise, but it fits. Sal has no reason for it. None. Like, how can you explain that?” you're laughing, your eyes water at the corners and you're wiping it away before your makeup runs. “like, come on. I was 38, I still live alone, and I still have 3 cats. I'll probably always have at least one cat. It's all true. Murr looks like a ferret and he went skydiving. It's all true.”

“to be fair, not by choice.” you countered, smirking. 

He smirks back, seems to like where you're coming from. “ah, he was fine. He didn't die. We promised we wouldn't intentionally kill each other.” 

“oh, intentionally?” you ask. 

“hey, you never know..” he shrugs, taking a last drink of his beer. You check your phone, and it's half after 10. 

“oh, damn.” you furrow your brow. 

“something wrong?” he asks. 

“it's just getting a little late, and I work early tomorrow.” 

“Ah, yeah. I understand.” you both leave the table, and you wait by the door while he insisted on handling the check. He meets you and you both walk out into the cold New York winter.   
“Can I call you a cab?” he asks. 

“I just live a few blocks that way, I'll be fine..” you smile, bundling up into your coat. 

“I can walk you there at least. I'd feel better about it anyway.” he smiles, and suddenly you don't feel so cold inside. 

“I'd really like that.”


	3. Day Three: Realization

It's been a week since your ‘date’, and you haven't seen Brian since. But it's nothing to worry about; if anything, it seems the texting has tripled following. Just today, he's texted twice about the cats being moody today, three times about what you're doing, and now about the plan of filming that afternoon at Washington Park. The weather had brightened up enough to melt off the slush and take some of the chill out of the air. 

“you wanna come hang around the park and watch?” he asked. Your stomach did a small flip as you answered “definitely”. 

The park was bright and sunny, though a chill still lingered in the air. More people were out than had been recently, given the sudden increase in temperature. There were a few musicians and poetry readers scattered about, but of course, you're looking for their set.

You're bundled up in your thicker coat, seeing how you'll be outside during the entirety of the day, and it helps when you find a seat at a nearby wrought iron bench. Your legs, however, are mad at your choice of skinny jeans, as the material is deceivingly thin, and the cold is rushing right through. 

No matter though, it's worth it to watch a few idiots do dumb things. 

Brian sees you nearby and smiles wholeheartedly, raising his hand in a small wave. He then gestures to the crew and cameras and shrugs apologetically. You laugh and give him a thumbs up, understanding. 

After a few takes of the intro, they start filming the challenge. It looks like the mirror challenge, where they have to mimic the action the other guys are doing, and Joe is going first. 

You watch everything from hair stroking to an embarrassing fall on his part, and he plays it well. You're laughing so hard the whole time. You look around, hoping you don't look like an idiot, and to your relief, you see they've gained a pretty fair audience around. 

Brian is up now, and your heart skips a beat. It hasn't done that in ages. He's trying the ponytail again, much to what seems to be the guy's dismay. Sal pulls at the back of his own head as Brian talks to someone. He flawlessly pulls at the ponytail, pulling his own head back and mimicking the strangest look. 

You see Murr then pretend to shake out the tail, not unlike a 1980s fashion model. Brian rolls his eyes, and you just faintly hear “you know what's nice about this style, is you can do this”, oh dear Lord, he's shaking his head so ridiculously hard, his hair is flying all about his face. He's worked himself up so much it sort of clings to his forehead. 

The poor stranger is staring at him like he'd just escaped an asylum, and so goes on their way. 

But Brian is still going with it. Why the hell-  
He just winked at you. 

He's showing off to you. 

And that's when it hits. You've realized how you've thought about his face more than you'd care to admit. His eyes, deep and brown, that seem to stare a thousand yards. The hair that you've really wanted to run your hands through, but managed thus far to avoid out of fear. You think of the hug he'd given you at your apartment door. It wasn't just a friendly hug, but it lingered into the “seriously wanting more but we're too nice to try at this moment” territory. 

You want that more.   
You're gonna get that more.   
And so you smile back, a smile of realization, with that pit in your gut of knowing you and Brian will never be the same.

He comes up to you during a break, still a little out of breath. “how's it going? You liking it?”

You smile, a knowing smile of being absolutely sure that you want this. “absolutely. Hey, when you're done, you think we can go get a drink or something?”

His eyes widen slightly with excitement as a smile breaks across his face. “yeah, I'd love to.”


	4. Day Four: Reveal

The bar is crowded, warm and a little cozy in the chilly evening. You and Brian had been here for a while after filming had wrapped for the day. He's talking about plans for the next filming session, while you stare intently, your finger idly running around the rim of your glass. 

You don't hear the words he says, you just hear the deep, New York tone of his voice. You don't notice the excitement in his body language, you just see the glimmer in his eyes. You don't notice the still slightly messy hair, you notice the slight graying that just seems to make him that much more attractive. 

“Hey? You okay?” he grabs your attention, pulling you out of your odd stupor. 

“Oh , um, yeah.” you clear your throat and sit back straight. “Brian, I've been thinking…” his eyebrows immediately furrow, curious at the change of tone. You look around, feeling self conscious of the crowd around you. “How about we get out of here?” 

He agrees, helping you back into your coat. You walk out the door together and he puts an arm around your shoulder. The butterflies in your stomach just did a somersault. 

“what did you need to talk about?” 

You glance up and he's right there. You're aware of his hand on your shoulder. You're aware of his eyes right on you. You're aware of the “more than friends” tension between. It's only been a few weeks but still, you want this and yet you're not sure. Is this too fast? Is this gonna look like you're just trying to get a celebrity? I mean, yeah, you know he's no George Clooney, but still-

“I think I wanna take this to the next level.” there. It's out. You just bit the bullet and let it all out. 

He doesn't skip a beat. 

“Actually, I've been thinking of the same thing.” he laughed, bemused. “I guess I'm just a gentleman, I wanted to wait until you were ready.” 

You turn into him and embrace him the tightest you probably ever have. He wraps both arms around you the same, and it's everything you've wanted for a good while now. The best feels as if it's yet to come, but it's also here and now as he kisses the top of your head gently, the cold air unable to cool the warmth of this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, there's no kiss yet. There's a prompt in this about a first kiss, so it'll come later.


	5. Day Five: Reminder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. The next 4 are short and all at once lol. I'm catching up. Sorry about the delay.

There's nothing official yet, but there doesn't need to be. You and Brian are both adults, and what you do is only between the two of you. It's just been a few weeks since you poured your heart out to him in a nervous panic. And in those few weeks, you can't stop thanking yourself for your nervous rambling that night. 

Their filming had taken them to Orlando, so he was out for the week, and you miss him. You've talked with him over the phone countless times, but of course it's not the same. 

It's just the picture of you and him on your wallpaper that keeps you content for now. Just the gentle reminder of the day you both took it to that next level.

He's got his arm around you, and his smile is so bright, so genuine, and you're trying to keep it cool, but you're cracking a smile too. You can't help it. The warm feeling you can't put your finger on, spreading throughout your body, rises once again through you. It feels like home, and it makes the wait worth it.


	6. Day Six: First Kiss

Everything built up so suddenly to the moment. You had been watching Brian and the guys filming, watching Brian play it up a little more on your behalf. You went for drinks after, and it just completely built up inside you, a grenade just ready to go off, your urge to finally get this official. 

You both got on the same level, which was the next step you wanted to take. He kissed your forehead tenderly, embracing you in his arms. The cold outside was unnoticeable, the heat between the two of you overshadowing it. 

He pulled back to take everything in, and you went for it. You knew how he felt, and it was the same as you, so why not? Your lips against his soft and warm lips, your hands reaching around and behind his neck and pulling him closer. He reacts with a sharp breath, his hands coming to frame your face as both of you part your lips. The motion was as easy as a breath, the feeling of his tongue along yours felt like ecstasy. It felt like time stood still, like life was only about this, right here, right now. 

It wasn't until someone on the sidewalk bumped into you that you realized, oh my God you're blocking the flow of the pedestrian traffic. Oh my God people are staring. Oh my God. 

He pulls you close, kisses you again, and says “I think we should go somewhere else, it's a little crowded here”, and you nuzzle into him, completely content.


	7. Day Seven: Laughter

“what is the most awkward thing you've done on the show?” you ask. You're curled up into his couch, the TV is on but you've no idea what's on, because you're wrapped into the conversation. “like, what is the one thing that just, I don't know, ripped our guts out it was so painful?”

“Ah, God, that's. A tough one. Now tarantula, yeah, that was rough, but awkward? Nah..” he pondered the thought a moment, you look up to see his brow furrowed the way it does, his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“I think,” he began, “that, although singing in front of all my firehouse guys was awkward in one sense, I'd have to say drawing big, fat, red Xs all over poor little kids paintings.” 

“oh yeah?” you ask.

“yeah, damn near heartbreaking. That little girl, ‘If you do this, I'll never forgive you.’”

“babe?” you ask, suddenly thinking. 

“hm?”

“I'm sorry, but I just heard that in Sal's voice.” 

He thought a moment, and then bust out in laughter. Not just any, but gut busting, near rolling on the floor belly laughter. It was contagious, and you roll over on the other side of the couch, unable to contain it. 

“I will never forgive you!” you cry out between laughs. 

“Ah, God, if I thought that in the moment, maybe it would've been easier.” he chokes out. 

The laughter slowly dies down, and you're lying opposite each other. You curl up into the corner of the couch, content.


	8. Day Eight: Rest

Your eyelids are heavy, unable to open despite the bright light shining into them. You roll over, trying to block the offense, and you feel a warm presence next to you. 

Now you're awake. You open your eyes to Brian's sleeping figure next to you. He's perfectly content, not a sound. You smile briefly to yourself, looking around the room. 

It's Brian's bedroom, and your heart settles down. Those weird first moments of early morning ( oh wait, it's 11:30...well, y’know) where you don't know where or when you are. It's peaceful here, just the occasional mew of a cat or the cars outside. You curled into Brian's outstretched arm, fitting right into his side. Neither of you had work or any other plans today, so you're completely content to wait out Brian's sleep and see what the rest of the day has in store.


End file.
